PDS Denies Waiving GHC100m Electricity Bills For Krobos

Ing. Joseph Mensah Forson, Tema Regional Manager of PDS

The Power Distribution Services Ghana Limited has refuted media reports suggesting that it has waived about GH¢100m for the agitating residents of Kroboland in the Eastern Region.

According to the Tema Regional Manager of PDS, Ing Joseph Mensah Forson, it is not true that his outfit has given Krobos a waiver, thus urging the public to disregard the claims.

Some online portals reported yesterday that PDS had waived GHc111,099,875 for residents of Krobo-Odumase in the Eastern Region, leaving them with GH¢84,625,624.87 to settle.

The report said as a sign of commitment to have power back, the residents were expected to make a payment from Friday.

Customers who are unable to pay one off can go to PDS for debt rescheduling plan, the media report said.

According the online portals, these were part of the roadmap to peace and PDS reconnecting the Odumase community to the national grid.

But responding to the news item, Ing. Joseph Mensah Forson, however, explained that what PDS said was that it had cleansed its data and not that they had offered waiver to the Krobos.

In his view, the media misinterpreted the cleaning of its data to mean a waiver, stressing that it was not correct.

Ing. Joseph Forson, last Thursday, mentioned that residents of the Krobo area owed PDS to the tune of GHc84 million.

The debt, he said, had risen to GHc90 million because of current happenings in the area which has prevented those who are willing to pay from doing so.

The debt was as a result of residents refusal to pay for their electricity bills since 2017, over claims that Ghana’s first President, the late Dr Kwame Nkrumah promised their ancestors that they would enjoy free electricity because of Akosombo Dam is situated on their land.

Some of the residents also alleged over-billing, hence their refusal to pay what they owed the state.

In a bid to recover their revenue, therefore, PDS, according to Ing. Joseph Forson, began what it described as intensive revenue mobilisation about two weeks ago in the area.

Unfortunately, residents of Kpongunor resisted the staff of PDS by mounting roads to the town.

This compelled the PDS staff to retreat to their offices, but before they left, they put off all the transformers supplying them power.

The situation, however, got worse on Wednesday when residents of Odumase allegedly attempted to attack the MCE of the area, as well as the Traditional Council for allegedly failing to esnure that their demands were met by PDS.

The police fired gun shots leaving, one person dead with others sustaining gun wounds.

And as part of efforts to find lasting solution to the current impasse between the power distributor and the residents, PURC, which is the utilities regulator, met with the parties and came out with modalities for the payment of all outstanding bills.

In an interview with energynewsafrica.com, Public Relations Officer for PURC, Bawa Munkaila also stated categorically that PDS had not given any waiver to the people in the Krobo area.

Below is the road map after a meeting yesterday